Home

Tennis

‘Serena Paved the Way’ – Martina Navratilova Says Serena Williams Showed Athletes How to Juggle Motherhood and Sporting Careers

Published 10/06/2022, 10:36 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

Over the past few years, we have seen many women making a comeback to tennis after entering motherhood. Take the example of Serena Williams. The American legend gave birth to her daughter in September 2017. Subsequently, she made a return to tennis in the first half of the 2018 season at the Miami Open.

Although her comeback ended in a losing cause, Serena found her rhythm back soon after. Serena made it to the finals of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open later that season. Recently, tennis legend Martina Navratilova revealed how Serena set an example for athletes to strike a balance between motherhood and their sporting careers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Martina Navratilova is all praise for Serena Williams

During an interview, Navratilova talked about how Serena showed female athletes to continue playing tennis after becoming mothers. She said, “For women it was either-or, but now Serena proved you can have both. There are plenty of other mothers on the tour who have done really well.”

via Getty

Further, she added, “The biggest reason we didn’t see it – there are a couple – the care wasn’t there, the money wasn’t there, and also women just chose to have babies and then they didn’t come back.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

‘It Actually Overwhelmed Me’ – When Martina Navratilova Couldn’t Stop Her Tears After Chris Evert’s Loss

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Talking about the longevity of female athletes’ careers, Navratilova said, “But now I think Serena kind of paved the way for motherhood and to still be an athlete. I think you will see more and more women playing well into their 30s, maybe into their 40s.”

Navratilova reveals what Serena lacked in her tennis career

Although the 23-time Grand Slam champion has tasted massive success in her tennis career, Navratilova picked one thing which Serena lacked during her playing days. Talking about this, she said, She wasn’t lucky enough to have a Chris (Evert).”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THE STORY: Martina Navratilova once chastised American icon, Andre Agassi, over his substance abuse confession

Navratilova and Evert formed one of the greatest rivalries in tennis. Despite their intriguing encounters, the two maintained a great bond off the court and mutual respect for each other.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Vatsal Shah

2,211Articles

One take at a time

Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.
Show More>

Edited by:

Tony Thomas